It Is Still Possible

From: Huffington Post

Congressional deadlock, created by lock-step partisanship and an unprecedentedly rigid opposition party, has been extensively analyzed, with no apparent resolution. In the midst of wide-spread citizen economic misery, many Americans have simply concluded that this is the way things are...and apparently always will be. In Kurt Vonnegut's memorable phrase: "So it goes."

But this isn't the way it has to be. There is a better way to govern and that better way characterizes much, if not most, of American history. It certainly characterized the Senate of the 1970s when Democrats and Republicans found common ground, called the national interest, and held themselves accountable for achieving it. This better time was brought to mind this week when I had a unique opportunity to remember those times.

Esquire magazine convened a commission of two Republicans, Jack Danforth (Missouri) and Bob Packwood (Oregon), and two Democrats, Bill Bradley (New Jersey) and this writer. We were challenged to balance the federal budget by 2020. Our moderator was Lawrence O'Donnell, former Senate staff director and now of Morning Joe. The results of this experiment will be available in the December issue of Esquire, out by mid-November. I urge you to read the results.

We achieved a balanced budget within a decade, but we also creatively addressed stabilization of Social Security, controlled health care costs, dealt with long-delayed military reform, and addressed energy conservation and climate challenges. Cynics will say: "That's easy if you don't have to seek re-election." But why should statesmanship be considered cynically? We were able to achieve our goals because each of us put the interests of our nation ahead of ideology and party. That is the way government used to work. I know from personal experience. And there is nothing, save rabid ideologues and selfish interest groups, to prevent it from working that way now.

It is now commonplace, including on this site, to attack "the government", as if it were some distant entity none of us is responsible for. But a majority of Americans elect their president and their members of Congress. If they don't achieve what we demand of them, perhaps we ought to get our mirrors out and ask ourselves whether we all might share some blame.

To comment, please visit: http://www.mattersofprinciple.com/?p=529

Poll reveals 14% for Green Party Candidate

Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones polled at a surprising 14% in a Public Policy Polling survey released last week.

A spokesman for Democratic candidate Alexi Giannoulias told TPM Monday he's not worried about third-party candidates affecting the Illinois Senate race -- despite a Public Policy Polling survey released last week that found Democratic State Treasurer Giannoulias neck-and-neck with GOP Rep. Mark Kirk, 31%-30%.

The Green Party was already on the ballot for the Senate race for President Obama's old seat, since under Illinois law if a party gets more than 5% of the vote in an election, they are automatically put on the ballot the next time around. When asked if he thought Jones had a shot at winning the election, McGrath said, "I don't see that happening."

But he did add that this week is the filing deadline for all third-party candidates. This means that there may be other candidates from "other ideological persuasions," but as far as the Giannoulias campaign is concerned, "the more the merrier." 

"We're confident that he's the candidate who's got the record," said McGrath, whether "there's two or six people on the ballot."

About Mark Kirk, who dodged reporters at a Metropolitan Planning Council lunch Monday that featured both candidates, McGrath said that "it's very telling," and that Kirk's campaign is "unraveling."

Kirk has been taking some heat after it came out that he's embellished his military record.

Giannoulias has problems of his own. He's faced some negative publicity after his family's bank, Broadway Bank, failed in April.

From: TPM

Vote Green Party for Syracuse Governor

By Howie Hawkins 
Syracuse

To The The Oneida Daily Dispatch Editor:

I am running for governor because I believe our state should provide living wage jobs, protect the environment and make health care a right.

I want a Green New Deal, one that builds on the economic rights that FDR championed to build upon his initial New Deal. If the private sector can’t provide jobs, then the government needs to put people to work — fixing up houses, taking care of the elderly and children, cleaning up our parks and neighborhoods, doing things to improve our quality of life.

We need a tax system where people support essential services based on their ability to pay. We don’t need New York’s present tax system with loopholes for the wealthy and multi-state big businesses and back-breaking high property and sales taxes for working families, those on fixed income, and small businesses.

Career politicians who cater to the needs of corporate special interests hold our state government captive. In recent years numerous lawmakers of both major parties in Albany have been guilty of corruption or forced to resign for unethical behavior.

The Democrats tell voters that the way to peace, universal health care and a strong sustainable environment is to vote for them. But with the Democrats in control in Albany and DC, they escalated the wars, increased military spending to a trillion dollars, mandated that we buy costly private health insurance rather than provide cost-efficient, publicly-financed health care for all (e.g., HR 676), bailed out Wall Street rather than Main Street, and pandered to oil, coal, gas, and nuclear corporations while climate change accelerated.

The Democrats have abandoned the last vestiges of their New Deal legacy and now echo the Republicans in calling for the economics of Herbert Hoover. They all want to cut public spending when the economy needs a public spending stimulus to fuel recovery. Meanwhile, the corporate welfare, bailout, and crime wave grows while unemployment, foreclosures, poverty, and hardship spread.

My running mate is peace activist and health care professional Gloria Mattera. We won’t be taking campaign contributions from corporate interests. It is hard, however, to get the media to cover candidates that focus on issues rather than raking in campaign contributions.

So please visit our website at http://www.howiehawkins.org to find out what changes the Green Party wants.

From: The Oneida Daily Dispatch

Green Party & Progressive Dems Panel, June 24 in Detroit

Green Party, progressive Dems, community organizers to hold Political Strategy panel at US Social Forum in Detroit, June 24

From: The Green Party of the United States

Five organizations have collaborated to organize a “progressive strategy dialogue” at the United States Social Forum (http://www.ussf2010.org) in Detroit, Michigan. The dialogue will be one of 50 People’s Movement Assemblies during the USSF. It will take place on Thursday afternoon, June 24th, from 1 to 5:30 pm in Cobo Hall, room W2-67.

The dialogue was initiated by the Independent Progressive Politics Network, which has organized similar dialogues a number of times over the past decade. Co-sponsors are the Green Party of the United States, League of Revolutionaries for a New America, Progressive Democrats of America and the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy.

Three major issues will be addressed:

• what can be done to stimulate independent, grassroots activism around key issues like unemployment, the housing crisis, racial justice, the climate crisis, corporate control of elections, immigrant rights, war and empire and universal health care;

• an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party as far as the building of a popular progressive movement; and,

• how to develop a “united progressives” network that brings together Greens and other third party activists, progressive Democrats, and labor, community and issue-based organizers into an on-going, independent, progressive alternative to our corporate-dominated political system.

Among those participating in this dialogue:

• Tim Carpenter, executive director, Progressive Democrats of America

• David Cobb, leader of the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy, Green Party 2004 Presidential candidate

• Sanda Everette, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States

• Ted Glick, co-founder of the Climate Crisis Coalition

• Kevin Gray, South Carolina community organizer and author

• Logan Martinez, leader of National Jobs for All

• Brent McMillan, executive director, Green Party of the United States

• Sandra Rivers, education activist, former Harlem, N.Y. school board member

• Jerome Scott, leader of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America

• Laura Wells, Green Party of California gubernatorial candidate

All USSF attendees are welcome to take part in this dialogue.